These assessments were informative, if not frightening, looks into how I deal with stress, and the effect it’s had on my personality over the last couple of years. Admittedly I have been very unlucky in the last few years for someone my age, and that is reflected in the astronomically high score on the Life Stress Inventory. I scored a 360 which is in the highest risk category for a health breakdown in the near future. Strangely enough, this is a huge improvement from what my score would be if I had taken it a couple of years ago, so in the grander scheme of things it’s actually a sign of improvement. The Type A assessment was also pretty interesting to work through. I scored pretty high on the impatience/hostility index which indicates that I might not be handling some of my stress in the best way. All of these assessments also showed me that I have a strong internal locus of control; I believe for the most part that I can control most outcomes and find ways to solve my own problems. On the final test, I was pleased to learn that I scored highly on problem focused coping, which makes a lot of sense for me personally. I don’t have a safety net, a family, or any real help so it has been all up to me in the last couple of years to figure these things out while the world seemingly falls apart. I found an interesting write-up from McKinsey indicating some of the challenges faced by low wage workers as they cope with poverty in America. Their article outlines some of the data showing that LGBT, women, and people of color are the most likely to have their basic needs unmet. They also outline some of the ways that organizations can use benefit packages to try to address some of these inequities. They point out that healthcare equity and access are some of the most pressing issues. Many employees at low wages can’t USE the healthcare they have because it still costs too much out of pocket. There is also a stigma in our culture surrounding receiving help. McKinsey suggests that businesses focus on making basic need benefits very easy to understand, and that they’re well communicated. These would be benefits like transportation subsidies, food benefits, etc. Relatively low cost for the employer, but has a large payoff for lower wage workers who typically have higher rates of turnover due to these inequities. In the future I can continue working on myself through therapy and self reflection to understand what makes me so impatient, and where my frustration stems from. I already try to separate myself from outcomes/processes in order to soften the blow if things don’t go as expected. As I move towards graduation and learning how to manage everything, it will continue to improve because I have set my mind to it, and have made it part of my routine to find healthier ways to manage my emotions.

Cordina, J., 2021. Income alone may be insufficient: How employers can help advance health equity in the workplace. [online] Available at: <https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/income-alone-may-be-insufficient-how-employers-can-help-advance-health-equity-in-the-workplace> [Accessed 27 May 2022].